bearludlow

[bearludlow]

It was more than just growing up wayward, then working the land and the ranches, he eventually morphed into a true outdoorsman. Something his grandfather crafted him into. He could track and hunt, to the point he'd become one of the best in the nation, and why he was often gone due to helping find missing people that had gone of trails and couldn't find their way back. But when Bear was home? He genuinely liked being home. Amongst his people and those that got him. Kit happened to be one of those few. They'd related once solely on being from the same place, and maybe a little persistence on Kit's part, but now were solid friends. Someone he could get on horseback with or go fishing with. When he was a kid the hesitance hadn't been anything of Kit's doing, Bear was just struggling and wrestling with demons no child should ever have to.

When he pulled up in front of Kit's place, dust flying around the truck as he got out, he walked over to help with the gear and ended up smiling a bit as the barter was already finding it's way out. "You really think anyone's gonna believe that?" His finger pushed up on the brim of his hat as his blue eyes narrowed slightly in amusement. "You should come by and I'll cook us up the trout I caught last week in Wyoming." Yes, a real invitation but also a point teasingly made.

↦ closed starter  / bear ludlow @bearludlow ↦ location: kit's place in the basin

The Ludlows were a lot like the McGradys when it came to Blackstone Ridge's social hierarchy, mostly because they were poor and not really the sort of families who fit into the regular mold. Kit knew plenty of Basin kids growing up, but most of them were from the families who owned the land, not the ones who worked it. Bear hadn't ever been one to go out of his way to make friends on the bus rides home (and who could blame him?) but Kit had stuck it out anyway. He didn't know any other way, truthfully, so he and Bear were something like friends purely because of his own stubborn nature if nothing else. Nowadays, it was easier because they shared the most important of interests: drinking beer and enjoying the land.

Kit had invited Bear over at the end of the week for a bit of fishing in the pond not far from his house. He didn't go fishing a lot, usually preferring the company of someone more than the actual fishing, but he was looking forward to it. As soon as Bear pulled up, Kit hopped off the front porch and headed out to his truck bed where he'd left his fishing pole, tackle box and cooler of beer on the tailgate. "So, I'll make you a deal," he said to Bear, "I'll let you say you caught the biggest fish if you let me say I caught one more than you, even if they were all smaller."

[bearludlow]

"You know, there's something to be said about naming an animal," Bear mused, "you've gotta be careful you're not too on the nose." His large hand smoothed over the horse's shoulder as the name Dart echoed in his head. "My gramps had a horse when I was a boy named King. He was a pain in the royal ass." The same horse he'd previously referred to as an escape artist who had learned how to flip open gate latches. That damn horse used to let himself go any which way he'd pleased on the ranch. Sometimes took himself over to the neighbors to hang with their horses.

"Nah, he's good. There's a couple of minor scratches on his leg," Bear gestured down to the front left. "This one here on the pastern and this one on the fetlock," his finger nearly grazed over each one, thankfully the worse was sound but it was also to show that he wasn't in pain or irritated. "I cleaned and put some ointment on 'em to keep the flies from buggin'. But definitely not deep or serious. He's walkin' around without a care." Now that he was home the horse appeared eager to get back to his buddies with the sounds he was making and the way his ears were perked toward the pasture. Maybe he was just going to test the fence again.

"Yeah, no problem," Bear shrugged. It was easy to figure where the animal had come from. With the condition he was in along it proved he wasn't someone's pleasure riding horse. "He was nosing around down by my barn. Poor guy found out real quick there's no food or fillies in there." The ranger hadn't had horses in a while. It'd change soon but he was often on the road so it didn't seem right. When he needed or wanted to ride he generally went to his grandfathers. "He just had a good time wandering around checking things out. Did no harm."

It'd been a crazy morning on the ranch. It wasn't too often that Beck lost his temper. He wasn't exactly soft around the edges at the best of times, a manner of speaking that could have a hardness to it and a choice of words that was lined with one too many curse words for many people's comfort, but he usually didn't lose his shit until someone earned it. Not noticing that one of the horses was missing from a pasture? That definitely earned it.

"Motherfucker," Beck cursed, but expelled the stress that he'd been holding in his body at the sight of the returned horse. "Do you know how fuckin' deeply you just saved someone's ass? One of our ranch hands caught the broken fence earlier, but this guy musta gone wandering before the sun even came up." They'd checked the pasture cams and seen him step through the broken fence at about 4am, but the people who were supposed to be on fence duty shoulda never let it get to that level.

"Whatcha tryna do to me, Dart?" Beck asked, stepping in to take the lead rope from the man. Dart was one of their training horses. Luckily, the ones that were worth the big bucks were kept elsewhere, more closely monitored, with more fences between them and the outside world. "He seem hurt or anything? We gotta change your name to Houdini, huh?" Beck shook his head. The damn stable hands were gonna get it in the neck for this. "Thanks for bringing him back. Lucky he didn't get himself in more trouble." Some of their studs here were worth a million, two million dollars. That was a lot of money to let go wandering off into the countryside. "Where'd you find him?"

[bearludlow]

❛ ELI & BEAR. — PEACH'S DINER.

It was difficult to remember the last time Bear truly sat down with someone and had a meal. Most everything was on the go for him or on his lonesome either in his truck or in the quiet of his home. Maybe it was just coffee and a pie but it was also a chance to socialize and catchup where he felt he'd been falling behind with people. The positive and negative all in the same breath when it came to being good and successful at what you do. Always busy. Too busy. "How's things been goin' lately? I meant to call you back last week but I was in Wyoming and got a bit distracted," his deep timbre rasped. It'd been a good trip all in all, no complaints. Bear was just busy on the catchup trail now. Especially when it came to someone like @carmxchaels who felt a bit more like family. "We've gotta go fishing sometime soon."

[bearludlow]

❛ JAMES & BEAR. — BUSTER'S BAIT BARN.

With a trip coming up to Wyoming he'd stopped in for a few essentials, as Bear was planning a little sideline to drop his line in a few spots. It was work calling him away, offering a nice reward, but when the job was complete the ranger would spend a day or two enjoying one of his favorite past times. And the trout was nice up north. "You headin' out fishing at the lake?" He'd rounded the corner and found @james-elroy looking at the lures. "Just be careful about snakes. It's that time of year and toss a rock before you enter the water," Bear warned. This part of Texas wasn't that bad but it had always been better to err on the side of caution. "That one," the tracker pointed to a smaller but flashier lure, "that's probably best for the lake."

[bearludlow]

❛ CAROLINE & BEAR. — ALL STRINGS ATTACHED.

With his grandfather's birthday coming up Bear was trying to be as thoughtful as possible when it came to a gift this year. He already took care of most things for the old man that had turned his life around for the better now that he couldn't get around like he used to. Since Old Man Ludlow was slow moving and mostly bound to stationary activities, he had an idea to tap into an old passion. There were faint memories of his grandfather strumming along an old guitar back when he was a kid and he'd found the old thing stashed away in the back corner of the basement. "You think this is worth fixing, or salvaging?" Bear asked @carolineweav as he set the beat up acoustic on the counter. It was worse for wear and had a couple of frayed strings, one missing completely. "Or should I buy new? The thing is," he said in his low usual rasp, "this might have sentimental value. Pretty sure my gramps had it a long time."

[bearludlow]

❛ SPENCER & BEAR. — BLACKSTONE BOOKS.

If he appeared lost, it wasn't far from reality — the park ranger couldn't remember the last time, if any, that he'd been in a bookstore. His boots were dirty and his pants had some blood stained into them from when he'd spent the morning freeing an animal from some barbed wire that had broken loose from a fence. In fact, his shirt was torn in a spot or two. Nevertheless, the day carried on and in his calloused hand now were a small stack of papers clutched into his grasp as he looked around for @spencerdolans. When he saw the owner Bear was relieved, he had been getting some funny looks from a couple of the women in the romance section. "You mind putting one of these up in your window?" It was a missing persons flyer that he showed Spencer. "I'm tracking him down but the family was pretty persistent on these. You likely wont need to have it up more than a week."

[bearludlow]

❛ BECK & BEAR. — GOLDEN OAK PERFORMANCE HORSES.

"Yeah, so, one of your fences may be down or you might need to keep this one in a paddock closer to the barn," Bear said with his usual deep rasp as he led the quarter horse toward the trainer. Either the magnificent animal was an opportunist or an escape artist. "I used to have a horse that knew how to flip latches and would let himself out all the time," the rough around the edges ranger added when he handed over the lead. Smart animals were great until they weren't. They often were the most memorable just not always for the right reasons. Boredom made them look for trouble. His large hand smoothed down the muscled neck as his blue eyes landed on @becktatum, "found 'em this morning. This was the first chance I had to bring him over." Sure, the ranches weren't close together in the basin, but horses never really minded that.

[bearludlow]

The moment he'd heard her voice he knew he'd been right in that feeling that'd come over him a few moments prior. There'd been a shift in the atmosphere. Neither good, nor bad — but definitely something to note. With the exhaustion weighing him down and making every part of him feel heavy, there was a slight grunt and groan sound when he'd turned to the brunette. Still beautiful as ever Bear noted as his blue eyes briefly moved over her, and then, well she'd opened her mouth. His fingers wrapped around the cold pint tightened just slightly, and rather than offer up a quick answer, Bear had a drink. The memory of much earlier in the year was faint in the back of his head.

"Two things, Mick," the tracker began, wetting his lips and his brow flinching as he shifted forward with thought and mild concern. "One, do you always go around saying people's full name? Kinda weird." His lips twisted slightly, just enough to feign an expression for her. "Two, who the hell do you know that's keeping bears in cages?" If she wanted to be a smartass then he could play that game. With a slight smirk he glanced down at himself, then caught her gaze again. "You've got the charm of a honey badger." Then, a beat later, "this ain't gonna get me to buy you a drink, Maverick."

↦ closed starter  / bear ludlow @bearludlow ↦ location: the whiskey barrel

Mickey hadn't seen Bear in months, and somehow she'd nearly forgotten that he even existed. He was like a vague, distant memory. Not that he wasn't a good time, just that it had been about five months, and there had been a lot going on between then and now. She'd sidled up to the bar to order another drink and glanced to her right when she spotted the familiar face, instantly wondering if she should say hi or not. After all, they'd never really talked much. It'd been meaningless sex, nothing more. She was also not going to try and jump into bed with him again, so saying hello almost felt counterintuitive... But Mickey was never one to let something as basic as logic keep her from doing something.

"Bear Ludlow," she said as she turned to face him, tilting her head to one side. "I didn't know they let you out of your cage this time of year. Showing up in public and everything, look at you."

[bearludlow]

CHARACTER - BASICS

Name: Bear Ludlow

Faceclaim: Brandon Sklenar

Age / Birthday: 34 / June 26, 1990

Gender / Pronouns: cis man / he/him

Hometown: Blackstone Ridge, TX

Occupation: Park Ranger & Tracker

District of Residence: The Basin

Time in Blackstone Ridge: 34 Years

trigger warnings: parental abandonment,

CHARACTER - BACKGROUND

What is the one place your muse feels most at home, and what does this place mean to them?

Home. As much as Bear loves open spaces, rugged terrain, and nature there's really nothing that compares to being in your own comfortable space. His days are often long and hard, the challenges wear on him, so Bear enjoys getting to hang his hat and enjoy the views from his basin home. Add in a cold beer, a home cooked meal, and then getting to crash in his own bed? Priceless.

If your muse is not native to Blackstone Ridge, what brings your muse to Blackstone Ridge? If your muse is from Blackstone Ridge, what keeps them here?

As a Blackstone Ridge local Bear has never really thought of packing it up and going elsewhere. Maybe it has to do with how often he gets called away and gets to travel and explore for a search, but he's never really felt like he needed to escape. He's not his mother, he's his father. Someone that stays and keeps working.

What would you say is your muse’s biggest motivation or desire, and how does this impact their decision-making?

Each job is his biggest motivation. To track and find whomever got lost and bring them back to their families or loved ones alive and if not well then recoverable. It's not possible to save everyone but Bear works tirelessly to be one of the best trackers out there so that he can minimize the losses and the negatives. He keeps his mind clear so that he can make split decisions and so that he can listen to his instincts.

How does your muse view themselves as a person? How does that compare to how your muse’s best friend views them?

A best friend would say that Bear is a good man. That he's someone that completely turned their life around for the better and really made something of himself. He does right by people as best as he can and he's always that steady and reliable person you could count on in your life. Bear's not a deeply introspective person. Not because he lacks the intelligence, but for the fact that he is bright. Too much thinking could really do a person in and there's a lot of darkness in his past. He's not really interested in looking into that abyss.

What is your muse’s relationship with their family like?

Currently Bear and his younger sister get along fairly well. It's a typical sibling bond that most brothers and sisters have. He teases her a lot and gives her a hard time but he would tear apart the world for her. They still have to make up for the past but they're in a pleasant place for now. Unfortunately Bear and his older brother are estranged and have been since his brother left all those years ago. He still harbors a grudge at his brother abandoning them but deep down he's desperate for a connection to him. Once in a while he'll see his dad but they never had much between them. He knows his father did what he could and he doesn't hate him for it, especially since he can see the guilt in his old man's eyes for not being there for his children. With no clue where his mother is or whatever happened to her, Bear does sometimes wonder about her. That's where it usually ends though.

Does your muse struggle to admit when they make a mistake, or are they quick to own up to it? Does it matter who they’re admitting it to, or how big the mistake is?

The man mostly does not give a fuck what people think. So, owning up to a mistake is no biggie to Bear. Who's going to judge him and call him weak for it? They'll likely regret that. Given that he's not overly prideful or has a need to be right or the smartest guy in the room, he's never really pressed when he turns out to be wrong about something. The thing is, if it's about his job, then it rarely happens. In his relationships with friends and townsfolk he'll say he's wrong about something if he is and shrug it off.

What is the coolest place your muse has traveled to? If they’ve never traveled far, what’s one place they hope to visit someday?

Banff will always be the most beautiful place Bear has ever laid his eyes on. His traveling usually only comes about when he gets the call, otherwise he's more than content with his home in Texas. If he ever gets the chance then Bear would love to go to Alaska some day. The Last Frontier sounds like something that needs to be experienced in his eyes.

Which parent (or parental figure) does your muse take after the most and in what ways? Are they aware of these similarities?

In many ways Bear is a spitting image of his father. Whereas his brother, the type to run off when life gets tough, is more like their mother. He's stubborn, quiet, likes the slow life, doesn't mind solitude, and is who he is — for better or for worse. The older he gets the more Bear realizes and notices just how similar he is to his father, and because of that awareness he's careful to not let himself get trapped too deep inside of himself.

Does your muse struggle to forgive others, or are they quick to offer grace? 

It all depends on the situation. Some things are easier to forgive than others. Bear is a stubborn man and really makes no apologies about that. For more than two decades he's held onto his feelings about his mother and brother, not once wavering or handing out forgiveness without those all important conversations and apologies. If they were to ever come. He's also not sitting around dwelling on those things either, Bear has moved on with his life. When it comes to his father he's mostly forgiven him. The person he struggles with forgiveness and grace the most is himself, but he does hope to make those amends.

Describe your muse’s highest high or lowest low so far in their life.

The lowest low in Bear's life was when his mother left. He was only four when she dipped on her entire family, deciding she couldn't handle the struggle nor the responsibility. It was a life changing and pivotal moment in his life. He and his older brother were just kids trying to take care of a house, of a family, because their dad had to work non-stop to be able to provide the necessities all on his own. When she left it had done a lot of damage. The highest highs? Anyone he's able to save and help. Bear would never say one was more important than the other. 

[bearludlow]

❝ I THANK WHATEVER GODS MAY BE FOR MY UNCONQUERABLE SOUL. ❞

STATS:

Name: Bear Ludlow

Age: 35

Face Claim: Brandon Sklenar

Occupation: Park ranger & tracker

Neighborhood: The Basin

Gender & Pronouns: Cis male & he/him

BIOGRAPHY:

Trigger Warnings: child abandonment, drug abuse and addiction, kidnapping

A feral youth was spawned by growing up in poverty. Bear's parents weren't the wealthy kind. They started from young love, too young, and thus never really amounted to much of anything. Not for not trying, they unfortunately handicapped themselves before they could really get going. Their first child came too early, just after graduating high school, and life turned from youthful discovery of the world ahead of them to working to make ends meet and provide for the family they hadn't planned for. Bear came next some five years later and was an absolute accident. Something he felt strongly his entire youth. Then there was one more oops after him.

When the youngest Ludlow hit the terrible two's that was when Bear's mother made her great escape. To this day no one is quite sure where she ended up or what happened in her life post Blackstone Ridge, but he doesn't really bother himself with those thoughts. Not too much, at least. This event left his father to be the sole provider and caretaker of 3 children and to some extent that caused him to subconsciously check out. He did work 3, sometimes 4, jobs but he was never around or present for his children. How could he be? At most he made sure they had some sort of roof over their heads and did his best to provide food and clothing. Everything else? That was up to the Ludlow children.

For Bear that meant getting up to no good. Little scrapes with the law. Petty crimes. Though, for him, it was a gateway into the world of drugs. With too many burdens on his shoulders far too young and a heaviness in his chest drugs were a wonderful escape. Going down that path only further drew a line between himself and his peers. The friends that were much better off and doing well in school. As kids they'd never once cared that Bear was poor, as teens, however, the divide was prominent. Loneliness only fueled his drug use and hooligan antics. The moment Bear was saved was the sheriff dropping him on his grandfather's doorstep. The old man was a no bullshit kind of man. Old school. When he saw the mess that Bear was, not missing the potential in his eyes, he resorted to breaking him down and building him back up the old fashioned way.

With some begging, laboring jobs took on Bear, likely seeing the potential in the strapping teenager as well. He was built strong, tough, there was grit in him. The ranches were where he started and with hard work enforced on him, Bear sweated out the drugs. Quickly he became almost militant in his servitude. He'd grown quiet and knew to listen, follow, take orders. The young man became reliable and as someone weathered for hardships he didn't balk when things got a bit tough. After obtaining his GED Bear was able to go onto community college, earn his Associate's, and then move onto a state university to get a degree in parks and recreation. It was a strategic move. He had no designs on working in community, Bear simply thought it would be useful.

With his grandfather's property edging along the state park borders Bear often went exploring and learned both from trial and error but also from his grandfather how to be a survivalist. The old man was the one that taught Bear how to track. At first it was simply for hunting purposes but then as Bear built the skill he began to make it more useful outside of that. Working as a ranger it benefited him when it came to finding lost hikers. It also led him to seek out rewards that people offered to help them find missing persons. His success rate hasn't been perfect but it's damn good.

The path to state park ranger and tracker came two ways — experience and education. Bear had grown up in the ranching culture, some from his grandfather but most from being taken in by laborers that offered him work when it came to feed barns and farms. He went where he'd been told and did the hard work prescribed to him. This was often working vast expanses of land. Perhaps no one would point Bear out for his intelligence but the man has never been dumb. Quiet and attentive he learned every step of the way. Coupled with his education he was easily streamlined into the position he has now. It's one that's beneficial it many ways, garnering him important connections while keeping him in confidence with the conservationists that want to keep the parks open and free. It feels like a win-win.

When it comes to family Bear feels he's the guy anyone can turn to at anytime and he's there to lend a hand. The man is a skilled gunsmith (something learned by way of his grandfather), an excellent shot and hunter, he's big and brutish and someone you want on your side in a physical fight — he's useful. Most importantly, Bear is loyal.

CONNECTIONS:

Is blood thicker than water? — the man has an older brother and a younger sister. none of them were ever all that close, especially since they were mostly on their own when it came to care, but when bear went down the bad path it certainly drove a wedge between them. there's also a future plot here between the siblings!!

You gave me a hand when everyone else gave me their back — the best friend without the actual label because they don't hangout and treat each other in that way. they always have each other's backs and keep each other's secrets. always a call or text away, will definitely help hide a body if needed.

childhood friends turned adversaries, people he wronged when he was battling his addictions, friends, neighbors, flings, hookups, etc.

[bearludlow]

BRANDON SKLENAR IT ENDS WITH US ‧ 2024

[bearludlow]

“in your dream, you are jealous of tragedies. / and the truth is, we all want our own tragedy, / because life is pale without it. / we want the teeth, the screaming, the survival / that comes with it.”

— Salma Deera, from “why you wanted a tragedy,” Letters From Medea

[bearludlow]

avatars (400 x 640): brandon sklenar signés starrynight

[bearludlow]

[bearludlow]

••• THINKIN' BOUT ME

When you're tastin' what he's drinkin', are you thinkin' 'bout me? When you're ridin' where he's drivin', are you missin' my street? Every time you close your eyes, tell me, who do you see? When you're tastin' what he's drinkin', are you thinkin' bout me? Comin' over tonight, wish that truck in your drive was mine Just like you know it's supposed to be When you're up in his bed, am I up in your head? Making you crazy, tell me, baby, are you thinkin' 'bout me? Are you thinkin' 'bout, are you thinkin' 'bout When you're tastin' what he's drinkin', are you thinkin' 'bout me?

[bearludlow]

[bearludlow]

BRANDON SKLENAR as SPENCER DUTTON 1923 ‧ Created by Taylor Sheridan